Surface treatment of titanium using thermal oxidation for biomedical applications

Two-step thermal oxidation of Ti and Ti alloys was proposed for improving their bone compatibility; this is a surface-treatment process involving the formation of an anatase-containing TiO₂ layer. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO₂ layer formed was thus evaluated. The two-step thermal oxidation process consisted of: 1) treatment in a CO atmosphere and 2) treatment in air; the anatase fraction in the TiO₂ layer could be controlled by changing process parameters. An increase in the anatase fraction resulted in photo-induced superhydrophilicity and an increase in the decomposition rate of methylene blue for the TiO₂ layer.